Final Grade Calculator
Find the score you need on a final exam, project, or remaining assessment to reach a target course percentage.
Free to use. Results are based on the grading scale, weights, credits, and other values you enter.
Final Grade Calculator
Find the final-exam or final-assessment score required to reach a target course grade.
Enter your current grade, final exam weight, and target course grade to see the required score.
What does a final grade calculator do?
A final grade calculator estimates the score you need on a final exam, project, paper, or other remaining assessment to finish a course at a target percentage. It works when the current grade and final assessment weight are known.
The final grade formula
Use the final weight as a decimal. For example, 20% becomes 0.20. The current grade represents the completed portion of the course, while the final assessment represents the remaining portion.
Worked example
If your current grade is 82%, the final is worth 20%, and your target is 85%, the calculation is (85 − 82 × 0.80) ÷ 0.20 = 97%. You would need 97% on the final under these assumptions.
Check the best and worst possible outcomes
Your best possible course grade assumes a 100% final score; your lowest projected course grade assumes a 0% final score. Compare both with your target before making a study plan. These estimates assume the final is the only remaining graded component and that your current grade represents completed coursework.
What if the answer is above 100%?
An answer above 100% means the target cannot be reached with a normal 0–100% final under the inputs you provided. That does not necessarily mean your course is hopeless: there may be other assignments, extra credit, dropped scores, or a different grading method that the simple formula does not include.
Why your school portal can show a different result
Some gradebooks calculate category weights, missing assignments, extra credit, dropped scores, or points-based totals in ways that are not represented by a single current-grade percentage. If your portal has a “what-if” feature, compare its assumptions with the values entered here.
Common mistakes
- Entering 20 instead of 0.20 when doing the formula manually.
- Using the final’s points instead of its percentage weight.
- Using a target letter grade without checking its percentage cutoff.
- Ignoring assignments that are still ungraded.
- Assuming the final is the only remaining assessment.
Need a different calculation? Use the Grade Calculator for assignment scores, the Weighted Grade Calculator for category weights, or the Semester Grade Calculator for term grades. For background, read our grade calculation guides.